Surgical Trauma Gradient as an Independent Predictor of Postoperative Pain, Functional Recovery, and Complication...

Background/Objective: Postoperative recovery after spine surgery varies substantially and cannot be fully explained by structural pathology alone. This study evaluates postoperative outcomes using a structured 2 × 2 Surgical Trauma Gradient integrating exposure-related invasiveness (minimally invasive vs. open) and biomechanical strategy (decompression vs. fusion), and examines the modifying role of Type-D personality. Methods: This observational cohort study included 200 patients undergoing elective spine surgery. Patients were stratified into four surgical subgroups: minimally invasive decompression, open decompression, minimally invasive fusion, and open fusion. Primary outcomes included pain intensity (Visual Analog Scale), functional disability (Oswestry Disability Index), patient satisfaction (Patient Satisfaction Index), and postoperative complications at 12-month follow-up. Surgical invasiveness was modeled both categorically and as an ordinal gradient. Multivariable regression, logistic regression, interaction analysis, and longitudinal mixed-effects models were applied. Results: Postoperative outcomes demonstrated a consistent gradient across increasing surgical burden. In multivariable models, higher surgical invasiveness independently predicted greater residual pain (β = 0.69; 95% CI 0.55-0.82; p < 0.001) and higher functional disability (β = 6.20; 95% CI 5.10-7.30; p < 0.001). Increasing invasiveness was also associated with lower patient satisfaction (β = -0.38; 95% CI -0.47 to -0.29; p < 0.001) and higher complication risk (OR = 1.64; 95% CI 1.12-2.41; p = 0.01). Type-D personality independently predicted worse postoperative pain (β = 0.41; p = 0.008) and significantly modified the association between surgical burden and pain (interaction β = 0.22; p = 0.012). Conclusions: Postoperative outcomes follow a structured Surgical Trauma Gradient influenced by both surgical burden and psychosocial vulnerability, particularly Type-D personality. Integrating these dimensions may improve perioperative risk stratification and support individualized treatment strategies.